1984 European Cup Final: 32 years of Roma heartbreak

Date: 30th May 2016 at 9:05am
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On 30 May 1984, Roma faced Liverpool in a tense European Cup final. Kev Pogorzelski looks back over the clash at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Roma - Liverpool.

32 years ago Roma embarked on a European Cup campaign which would culminate in the final held at the Stadio Olimpico in front of an expectant largely home crowd.

However, after a tense 120 minutes of football against three-time champions Liverpool, the Giallorossi players trudged from the playing surface with disappointment consuming them.

Three decades later the closest the Romans have come to avenging that failure were two Champions League quarter-final exits to Manchester United in 2007 and 2008 – the first an 8-3 aggregate loss arguably created even more nightmares for fans.

Back in May 1984, though, there was clear call for optimism ahead of the final, despite Liverpool’s European pedigree, after clinching the Coppa Italia four days earlier in Rome with victory over Hellas Verona.

However, whilst Nils Liedholm’s men failed to retain the Scudetto, the Merseysiders arrived as English champions and keen to seal a fourth European Cup at the venue of their first triumph in 1977.

That did not diminish the Roma fans determination, arriving early to the Olimpico, intent on creating a hostile atmosphere for the highly decorated ‘visitors’.

However, with a wealth of European experience, Liverpool appeared to take it in their stride, attempting to silence the crowd by sitting deep and maintaining possession.

Souness

Their cautious approach paid off, taking the lead on 13 minutes when, during a challenge by Ronnie Whelan, Giallorossi goalkeeper Franco Tancredi dropped a lofted cross.

Michele Nappi’s clearance hit the unfortunate Tancredi, and arriving to stab the ball home was full-back Phil Neal – also a goalscorer in 1977 – and Liverpool had the perfect answer to those who believed they would wilt in the Rome cauldron.

Within minutes they could have extended that lead, but their Sampdoria bound captain Graeme Souness saw his volley chalked-off for offside.

Although Bruno Conti forced Bruce Grobbelaar into a low save midway through the half, Liverpool were dominant, and it was with some surprise that Roberto Pruzzo found an equaliser on 42 minutes.

With belief reignited by the late equaliser Roma attacked with added purpose and took control of midfield, but fashioned little more than efforts from range.

On 85 minutes Tancredi made amends for his earlier error to deny substitute Steve Nicol a late winner and, despite an additional 30 minutes of extra-time, that was the end of the ‘action’.

With the majority of the 69,693 hurling insults at the Liverpool penalty takers, the advantage swung back in the Giallorossi’s favour and Nicol sent the first kick high over the crossbar.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH71Cy4_kvc[/youtube]

Giallorossi captain Agostino Di Bartolomei netted the first for the Italians, however, Neal held his nerve to put pressure on the next man up, Conti, who followed Nicol in sending the ball towards the night sky.

Souness and Ian Rush converted either side of Ubaldo Righetti, and the pressure was building.

In a now famous act of gamesmanship Grobbelaar stood on the goalline wobbly at the knees, exaggerating how much the preceding 120 minutes of football had affected his physical state.

Whether or not it affected Francesco Graziani is open for debate, but he became the third man to fire over the crossbar and Liverpool led 3-2 with two kicks remaining.

With that Alan Kennedy, hardly known for his spotkick prowess, walked forward and sent Tancredi the wrong way and the Romans home devastated – the dream was over.

It was 18 years before the Giallorossi graced Europe’s premier competition once more, and the Merseyside club once again crushed their hopes with a 2-0 win at Anfield.

Although Roma are yet to navigate their way past the play-off to reach the group stages, thoughts will no doubt already turned to burying those ghosts from 1984.

 

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